Where to turn when LFS isn't up to par?

[Trincate]

All:

I'm a bit exasperated in my search to simply get started in this hobby. I've visited all my local fish stores and have found two that carry a limited supply of marine/reef equipment, but most suggest they can either 'order' or 'build' what I want. On top of that both shops I've visted want to come to my house to set up whatever I buy and do the maintenance.

I'm more interested in doing most of the work myself rather than have some dude in my house every week. I don't feel like I'm getting very good advice from these guys as it seems they are purposely trying to confuse me in order to get me to agree to this "set-up/maintenance" service.

I'm hoping you guys might help, as I'm at my wits end, and I'm hoping you guys might at least point me in the right direction.

My plan is to place a reef aquarium in my home office. Ideally I'd like a tank around 75G or so that is reef ready. I'd like to find a high quality furniture grade stand/hood and a place I could purchase all the necessary equipment. If I could find a "starter pack" that included all the equipment/sump/heater etc. then that would be awesome. Is there a particular manufactuere/dealer online that you guys could point me towards?

Also, if there is a LFS in the Akron,OH area that you guys might reccomend I'd much appreciate it.....maybe there is one I missed that could be helpful.

Thanks in advance

[wab]

I THINK MOST OF THE STUFF CAN BE PURCHASED ON LINE CHECK OUT THAT FISH PLACE .COM

[crvz]

You're wise to seek out info, and you're starting in the right place. Internet forums provide a great option to bounce ideas off of and get started. There are a few places that give the general concept to begin with, Marc wrote up a quick little article that maybe of assistance.

http://www.melevsreef.com/tanks.html

And online retail stores offer very competitive pricing, and many of them have awesome customer service. While some may say that online support ruins some of the local tradition of the hobby, almost my entire hobby experience is online these days and I don't think I'm missing anything.

I like www.marinedepot.com and www.premiumaquatics.com.

Welcome aboard!

[Freed]

Aquatictech.com and phishybusiness.com are two in OH that I know of.

I think you'll be much happier doing the setup yourself and you'll also know what everthing does and how it works and interacts with everything else you have too if you set it up yourself as well.

[Freed]

You can also find great deals for tanks and equipment here on RC as well.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1464386

[otisforme]

check out the c-sea forum here on rc also there is aquatictech in columbia station or the one and only saltycritter in vermillion but you can shoot me a pm and i can give you the low down on the local scene...

[fivesmallworlds]

Welcome!

LFS' have been notorious for misinforming their patrons unfortunately. There are a few diamonds in the rough out there though, so keep searching.

Another website that I'd recommend is bulkreefsupply.com. They are sponsors of RC and up here in MN, so shipping on many items won't be that bad. Check out the sponsors section on here and you'll find a lot of online resources to compare and purchase from.

[Flipper62]

Trincate,

To me it just sounds like they are to get you on their maintance plan. If you travel a lot like I do, its ok because then at least the tank will be takin care of. Other then that, they just dont want you to know what they know. Your best to know how to do everything yourself.

Keep posting here, you will get good info.....Also it will be good to become a Premium Member. This will get you more info & faster responses from the RC Mods. For this small cost of $24.00 a year, you cant get this kinda help or info from a LFS.... Even a good LFS. All LFS have there way of doing things, but different things work for different people, Thats why it good to get lots of input & then see what works for you.

[Trincate]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

PM sent Otis

[Zestay]

most of the sponsers here ( the banners at the top of the page ) are AWESOME places to deal with.

[FirstContact]

+1 On MarineDepot.com and all the above. One of the best sites to buy sw fish tank stuff. Great customer service, and they will give basic minimal advice for free without pressure. Other good sites also mentioned above. LFS usually have an incredible exorbitant mark up rate. But, it is there JOB to sell stuff and it's how they make a living. If you buy stuff on line, not only is it incredibly cheaper, but you don't have to pay tax, and the shipping is typically free over a certain dollar amount. (Exceptions for large bulky items like lighting and sumps etc.) PetSmart or PetCo usually have the best prices on salt if you go with Instant Ocean.

Also, remember, a cup of live sand from a fellow reefer or LFS will seed all your sand. Same goes for live rock. A little live rock will seed your base/dry rock. No need to spend hundred of dollars on initial purchases of sand and rock.

Welcome to the hobby! Why not start with a little reading first. "The Reef Aquarium" by Delbeek and Sprung is often quoted as the bible in the hobby. Good place to start. With a little reading/knowledge you can tell the sharks from the minnows. ReefCentral is the place for good Q&A and information on the net.

Good Luck!
:rollface:

[Playa-1]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/1588989513Reefnut_welcome.gif
To Reef Central


Most of my online business goes to www.drsfostersmith.com
Sometimes I will use www.marinedepot.com or www.aquacave.com

The most important thing for you is to gain as much knowledge as you can before you start to acquire equipment. Along with the sticky threads in the forums here at Reef Central, I would highly encourage you to pick up a couple of good books and read them before moving forward. Check out this link:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/tips/index.php

Some things you will want to acquire locally. A tank and stand for instance are usually best handled locally if possible. I also like to purchase livestock and food locally. It's always nice to have a good local fish store in the area for that Friday afternoon when your return pump fails, so it's a good idea to throw some business their way when you can. Do yourself a favor and shop around a little before you purchase any equipment from any lfs. Also I wouldn't put too much weight on LFS advice. Good luck :)

[Trincate]

Continued thanks for the solid advice.

"A tank and stand for instance are usually best handled locally if possible"

That's been the major challenge for me. I've visted 4 LFS so far. 3 of them carried no tanks/stands combos that are "reef ready" and those shops carried either no or a very limited supply of marine fish/supplies. The fourth place I visted had only two choices, a monstrous 200 gallon set up ( way to big for my space) and a 65 gallon set up that might work (seemed very tall with a smallish footprint), but he's the guy that was pushing the home set up/maintenance deal and all but said I was destined for certain doom if I didn't have him come to my house to set it up and maintain it.

So yeah, I'd really like to find a decent spot locally at least to buy the big stuff....but so far not much luck finding what I'm looking for. Of course all the shops said they could order what I want, but I'd like to physically see the tank/stand combo in person rather than rely on these guys to tell me what it looks like.

For what it's worth, I'm looking for a corner set up in the 75ish gallon range.

[Dino]

:) Everybody here has given great advice and you're not alone. I live in a pretty rural area with only one small fish store reasonably close, and they don't have much for marine stuff (basically a couple tanks of fish, some of the more common corals, and a few shrimp. No rock of any sort, no skimmers, no filters except power filters, no sand, no lighting..nothin'). So probably 99% of my purchases come from online as the next closest pet store is a 300 mile round trip. :) Its completely doable though. About the only thing you really need to find locally is a tank and a stand, they're worth driving a significant distance for as its expensive to get them shipped. For the stand, look around and see if you have any cabinet makers or something of the like in the area. You'll be able to have one custom made to how you want it to look and it should be a heck of a lot sturdier than the store bought kind. It might be a little bit more expensive but it'll be worth it in the long run.

:) I don't usually recommend going with package type deals, as with anything - stuff that usually comes packaged together in some type of special deal usually has one or more cheap components. A sump doesn't have to be anything fancy unless you really want it to be. Keep an eye out for people getting rid of old tanks, sometimes they're beat up, have some scratches in them, but they work just fine as sumps.

Everybody here has given great suggestions of online vendors. Check out the RC Sponsors to get you started, if you're not sure of some place, do a search in this forum for them to see others experiences with the company.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=1&forumid=8

I've personally had good luck with both Drs. Foster and Smith and Live Aquaria (same company - one sells dry goods, one sells live stock). Their CS is hard to beat, I've also ordered from Bulk reef supply and premium aquatics, top notch companies in my book. Hellolights is a great place to get lighting from, they sell it all. Here is a few months I'll be putting in an order hopefully to Phishy Business for some corals, nothing but good things about them.

[cdness]

If you are close Bulk Reef Supply is a great supplier. They are very flexible and have great products. I would highly recommend them.

Other places would be Dr Foster & Smith. They have very good deals on Reef Crystals compared to my LFS (PetCo, PetSmart, and others) They are almost 50% off...:)

All of the suppliers you see on the banners seem to be pretty good. I have not ordered from them all but you can check for other feedback on the forums.

For the tank and stand I would recommend looking into Craigslist. More than likely it would come with one of those cheaper stands made from pressboard though. For the cost savings on the tank alone you could go DIY a nice stand. If you are not the DIY type, go talk to a cabinet maker and see if they can build you a stand. That way you can get the EXACT look you want.

[Playa-1]

I agree with checking your local Craigslist, buy/sell forum on Reef Central, local fish forums, or maybe Ebay. Many times you will be able to find some really good deals on used equipment. People relocating or upgrading can save you lots of bucks.

[Orvis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13585978#post13585978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wab
I THINK MOST OF THE STUFF CAN BE PURCHASED ON LINE CHECK OUT THAT FISH PLACE .COM

I can second the vote on THAT FISH PLACE in Lancaster. Pa. They have a fairly large inventory of reef tanks, marine fish, and just about anything you would need for the hobby. I regularly do business there and have had no problems. Also it is very, very rare if I go there and cannot find what I need.

[bacawarrior]

Sad thing is, you may just have to bite the big gas bullet and drive. There are a couple of decent lfs within 20 miles of my house, but they aren't too terribly knowledgeable, and their prices are kinda high. If I really need something, the store I go to is about 150 miles away. It's well worth the drive though. These guys know what they're talking about, have great prices, and sell quality livestock. They started out as hobbyists, and opened a small shop (literally, a shop in their backyard) that was only open a couple days a week at certain hours. Last year they finally moved into an actual store and are open fulltime. Just like any other lfs, they're in it to make money, but their growth is due to the service and goods they give. They don't just give you crap that you don't need to make a buck. So, like I said, you may just have to drive to find a good place.

[chase01]

Try local reef clubs- many of them have forums here on RC. Often you can get used tanks/stands/other equipment from individuals who are trustworthy (ie, never treated with copper medication, etc) for a fraction of the price. Also, reef clubs can steer you away from bad LFS and might even be able to point you in the direction of a good one.
Best of luck. And Welcome to RC!

[chase01]

Try:
http://www.c-sea.org/local_stores.html

Also, just might be what you are looking for:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1495265

Just a start!

[Flipper62]

I agree on biting the bullet on the travel & gas. I'm in a suburb of Chicago & I have 3 LFS within 15 minutes from me. 1 LFS is 45 seconds from my house ( NO JOKING ) I travel 50 minutes to the LFS that I like & trust. There is also a LFS about 90 minutes from me that I like his Corals.

So to me its not the travel or gas.....I have a few LFS that I trust & also have great Corals